about google searches. the top google searchs of 2012? some of these are surprising. number one, whitney houston. beat out hurricane sandy. election 2012. bob's favorite thing to commiserate about. hunger games. and to lin jeremy lin. i still have my jersey. >> bob: who is that? >> eric: basketball player. that's it for us on "the five." thank you for watching. check us out tomorrow. ♪ ♪ >> chris: the world has become even more dangerous place in the last 24 hours. the obama administration fails to keep north korea from developing and testing a long range missile. this is "special report." ♪ ♪ >> chris: good evening. i'm chris wallace in for bret baier.

north korea today joined the club of nations that have put a satellite in to space. the part that worries people here in washington is the same technology can be aflied to delivering nuclear warheads to the american west coast. north korea is now part of a modern day axis of evil for the u.s. iran is thought to be working on a nuclear bomb. the explosive situation in syria passed another landmark today. we begin with chief washington correspondent james rosen at the state department. on the failure to keep the north koreans grounded. >> with north korea successful launch of the three-stage rocket tuesday night the obama administration was left to ponder the limits of the engagement policy it doggedly pursued with rogue regimes around the world. >> as we have seen in the case of north korea, as we have seen in the case of iran to date, it's their choice whether they take advantage of it. spend his time and his money. shooting off missiles or he can feed his people.

but he can't have both. >> reporter: after the u.n. security council disbanded without announcing any punishment, the white house and state department signaled intention to outsource the job to the north korea patron state china. >> i think you saw the chinese make clore their opposition to this launch, prior to it and the regret over the fact it took place after it happened. >> we are very much ready to engage with our colleagues on the council. we will be searching for a clear and credible response. >> kim jung un is expected to capitalize on the boost of the internal standing that the launch provided to move to conduct another nuclear test. five years ago, then senator obama vowed for diplomacy with dictators like kim. >> would you be willing to meet with the leaders of iran, syria, venezuela, cuba, north korea? to bring the gap the divides

our countries. >> i would. the reason is this. the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration is ridiculous. >> yet, it was under the bush administration that the six party talks were launched and achieved the notable success. north korea demolition in 2008 of a water cooling tower used in the nuclear programs. with the obama administration ruling out direct u.s. orangutans until north korea honor -- u.s. ruling out the north korean talks until they honor their agreement. >> they did this in tight timetable. >> only way we will solve the north koreans nuclear weapons problem is by ending north korea. that is arduous task. it recognize that. but in the short-term we used

up conventional devices. >> an aid to secretary of state clinton told me the administration is given concrete ideas to north koreans for a year, so-called step for step proposal that they studly rebuted. with the new secretary of state soon to take office it's unclear that second obama term will produce any changes in the north's current trajectory of that of the rockets. chris? >> chris: james rosen reporting from the state department. thanks for that. syria's opposition forces received the biggest boost yet today. more than 100 countrys recognized the syrian national coalition hours after president obama declared it was the legitimate representative of that country. chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge tells us this opens the door for a dramatic boost in western aid and leads to a new set of problems. >> opposition forces advance toward damascus, including this attack on the syrian government interior ministry, president obama confirmed interview with abc news that

some of the rebels now have official u.s. backing. >> we have made a decision that the syrian opposition coalition is inclusive enough, is reflective and representative enough of the syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the syrian people in opposition to the assad regime. >> less than 24 hours after the president's statement, u.s. officials confirmed the intelligence showed the conflict is escalating. >> we are seeing use of another egregious weapon, barrel bomb. an incendiary bomb containing flammable materials. it's indris crimnant in terms of civilian. >> the move to recognize element of the opposition, some brought in exile brought rebuke from the foreign minister, whose government backed negotiation between bashar assad and the

opposition. given u.s. involve in the libya and iraq to bring down their dictators, analysts predict the deepening division between the white house and the russian president. >> he has seen american match nations bring down gaddafi, saddam. they are determined to preserve their ties. >> the administration downplays the leadership role and presence of islamists and al-qaeda, this video alleges to show foreign jihadists, is a malley, germany, u.k. and france on the ground in syria. that man said he wants to establish strict adherence to shariah law in syria adding that the taliban is example to follow. >> opposition has to take steps to isolate extremists and those with a different agenda. >> the leader is pushing the u.s. to reconsider the decision to label militant islamic use to claim religion is legitimate motivating factor for the rebels.

the u.s. says the group is a front for al-qaeda in iraq. chris? >> chris: thanks. >> you're welcome. >> chris: federal appeals court struck down the nation's last date wide been a on carrying concealed weapons. illinois now has 180 days to write a new law permitting people to carry guns for self-defense. unfortunately, no one armed or otherwise was able to stop a young man with an illegal gun from fatally shooting two people and himself at a suburban portland, oregon, shopping mall tuesday. correspondent dan springer says it could have been worse. >> cell phone video shows the kay yous in a mall in -- chaos in mall in portland. they ran for lives hand held high to show police they were not a threat. >> my friend was on the ground. crawling toward the door. i heard two more shots, jumping on the ground and

crawling for door. i heard someone yell get on the ground. >> they say 22-year-old roberts was armed with semi-automatic rifle he stole earlier in the day from someone he knew. witnesses say he fired between 20 and 60 shots the mall's food court, killing two people and wounding a third before turning the fun on himself. investigators say he wore a hockey mask and special load-bearing vest that allowed him to carry fully loaded magazine clips. they don't know the motive, police ruled out terrorism. >> there were no indicators that this was going to happen. and every indication that we have to this point is that he acted alone in this. >> killed in the attack were 54-year-old and a 45-year-old. husband and father of two. neither had a connection to the shooter. police searched the gunman's home and neighbor said he saw roberts leaving the house in hurry yesterday carrying a guitar case. officials say there would have been more victims if the gun had not temptarily jammed --

temporarily jammed or the response from police or people in the mall not been so quick. >> difficult to see how anything good can come out of a tragedy like this but it reminds us how precious we are to one another. >> police and the mall have practiced scenario similar to what happened yesterday within the last year. meantime, that third victim, 15-year-old girl is listed in serious condition. but she is very lucky to be alive. the bullet passed through her back and bruised her lung but narrowly missed her vital organs and she is expected to make a full recovery. >> chris: that is one good bit of news. thanks, dan. a major figure in the operation fast and furious scandal is headed to prison. gunfire jamie avila was sentenced to 57 months behind bars for his role in procuring the weapon that eventually killed a border patrol agent. correspondent william la jeunesse has more from los

angeles. >> the 25-year-old who bought the weapons later used in the firefight that killed border agent brian terry asked for forgiveness today in federal court. his family stood by his side. >> my brother is a good i go go. he made bad choices. >> they say he fell in a bad crowd. >> his surroundings, possibly friends that led him to make bad choices at this point. >> i'm sure he is remorseful. but that shouldn't discount severe consequences of his action. >> with no criminal history he received $55,000 to buy 52 guns including two assault weapons at the brian terry murder scene. >> brian was victim of straw purchasing activity despite the government not recognizing officially victims in this type of gun trafficking crime.

>> avila wasn't charged in terry's death but for dealing guns without a license. today he got 57 months in prison. according to the federal guidelines that sentence that fits the crime. >> for us, it's satisfying but then again i can understand how terry's family might feel as well. >> family that will spend another christmas without brian terry. >> it's december 12. almost two years to the day. difficult time for the entire terry family. there five men are charged in terry's murder. three are at large in mexico. two are in custody. one pled guilty. likely to get life in prison. >> thank you. defense secretary leon panetta says president obama will decide in the next few weeks how many troops to keep in pakistan, after the combat mission ends there. panetta is on a previously unannounced visit to kabul. he is meeting with the top military commanders as well as afghan president karzai. well, is the world going to end a week from friday? we will talk about it later on the grapevine.

up next, if we do make it to christmas, will we still be headed for the fiscal cliff? weu 10% on ground shipping over the ups store. look this isn't my first christmas. these deals all seem great at the time... but later... [ shirt ] merry christmas, everybody! not so much. ho ho ho! this isn't that kind of deal. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office. starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

>> chris: republicans in washington are vowing to work through the holidays if necessary to avoid the impending fiscal cliff. the democrats continue to portray the g.o.p. as the grinch. who wants to steal not christmas but a middle class tax cut. tonight, charges and countercharges from chief white house correspondent ed henry. >> officials now say speaker john boehner's phone call to president obama was tense, hopes of a possible deal seem to be fading fast. >> i remain the most optimistic person in this town, but we've got some serious differences. >> the biggest difference is over taxes. republicans complain in an interview with abc news the president made it harder for

boehner to sell compromise to republicans by saying the only way to go forward is for the speaker to cave. >> i'm confident republicans would not hold middle class taxes hostage to try to protect the tax cuts for high-income individuals. >> white house officials today incested the president was merely reiterating a long-held position and said the hold up is the republicans failing to get specific about taxes. >> closing loopholeles they will not name, capping deductions that they will not specify sometime in the future. those magic beans are just beans. that fairy dust is just dust. >> boehner fired back the real problem is the president's latest proposal offered in private on monday is light on spending cuts and only dropping his request on tax ib crease increases from $1.6 trillion to $1.4 trillion. >> it's mainly tax hikes. the plan does not begin to solve the debt crisis.

it increases spending. >> new fox news poll suggests that boehner has juice with the american people. when asked to name the best way to deal with the country budget problems 57% said mostly spending cuts. only 20% said mostly tax increases. just 18% said both. overwhelming 69% favor the president's call for raising taxes on the wealthy. 65% also say it's time to cut the number of government workers. 51% want to raise the eligibility age for medicare. the poll found 65% of voters now think that federal government is broken. >> it'nancy pelosi and republicans squared off on the house floor today. >> do i detect your smirk to mean you don't think the republicans will vote for middle income tax cut, mr. sessions? should i take it to mean that you will continue to hold

middle income tax cuts hostag hostage? >> i just got off the phone with a senior republican who told me when a budget deal is near, usually vice president biden sent to capitol hill as a closer with no sign of biden yet because of such little progress. barring a major development for the first time he believes they may be going off the cliff. >> chris: joe biden still warming up in the bullpen. thank you, ed. don't look for interest rates to go up soon. the federal reserve says it wants to maintain a key short-term rate near zero until unemployment drops below 6.5%. fox business network senior washington correspondent peter barnes is here with a back story. good evening. in good evening, chris. the first time in the fed's 100-year history it has done something like this. tied the interest rate policy to a special target. specific goal for unemployment. it means the fed will keep interest rates low until the economy creates 2 or 3 million

more new jobs economists say. keeping the rates low for mortgages, car loans and business loans to boost economic growth could mean a job finally for your unemployed spouse, son, daughter or neighbor. the fed chairman said he hopes ground-breaking strategy pledge of easy money until the economy performs in a specific way could help the 12 million people who remain unemployed 3-1/2 years in the economic recovery. >> important not just look at numbers. every tenth means many many people are represented there. it's important to keep in mind the reality of unemployment. >> fed cautioned it could start raising interest rates at signs that low rate could trigger higher inflation.

chris? >> thank you. >> the dow broke the five-day winning streak. industrial average lost three. s&p 500 gained less than a point. nasdaq was down 8-1/2. still ahead, high cost of helping the hungry. but first, have we gone as high as we with an expensive space program? [ male announcer ] when was the last time something made your jaw drop? campbell's has 24 new soups that will make it drop over, and over again. ♪ from jammin' jerk chicken, to creamy gouda bisque. see what's new from campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. because helps you keep doing what you love. no wonder it's america's #1 selling pain reliever. you took action, you took advil®. and we thank you. share "not even close."

share "you owe me..." share "just right." the share everything plan. shareable data across 10 devices with uimited talk and text. by htc for $49.99.

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] while you're getting ready for the holidays, we're getting ready for you. tis the season. for food, for family, and now, something extra -- for you. >> chris: signisttists and explore eithers have financial roadblock in the quest to pursue the final frontier. tonight, correspondent doug mckelway tells us we arrived at a potential turning point in the race for space. >> the latest hubble pictures as far back in time and space

as humans peered. time astronomers call the cosmic dawn. >> we can probe this far back in time. only few hundred million after the big bang when the universe was less than 3% of the present age. >> photos obtained by pushing the telescope to the maximum capabilities. focusing on an area of the distant space as wide as one tenth of a full moon and holding exposure longer. the light just now reaching earth after 13 million years of travel. the photo revealed previously population of seven prim tim galaxies. to see further and witness beginning of the universe, a space lens james web telescope is under development. but the deployment is delayed until 2018 because of the funding issues. that and the lack of consensus in washington left the future uncertain.

>> without a consensus, they cannot be expected to develop or work effectively toward long-term priorities. >> they suggest they model it after the formula one car racing, he's tech, expense i and privately funded. >> sports team in the country reaps hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorships without impact on basic mission. would anything in science, exploration or emission be harmed in names were attached to projects and sponsored? >> another member questioned stability of the private funding and crowned on the potential of crass commercialization. >> i can't imagine neil armstrong or buzz alderon on the moon in space suits that made them look like mass car drivers. >> with the white house nor congress taking lead iship role in nasa's future, privately funded are gaining

momentum. the golden spy company announced plan to land a man on the moon within ten years. chris? >> chris: doug, thank you. the special "fly me to the moon" repairs sunday at 3:00 p.m. after fox news sunday. it will mark 40 years since man left the moon. from the 20th century to the 21st. pope benedict today set the first tweet from the new account. nline fans and urged them to listen to christ. about the same time the hasn'tal surpassed 1 million followers. as the world in its final days? some people think so. are you being irresponsible with your helium balloons? grapevine is next. you won't take my life. you won't take our future. aids affects us all. even babies. chevron is working to stop mother-to-child transmission. our employees and their families are part of the fight.

and we're winning. at chevron nigeria, we haven't had a reported case in 12ears. aids is strong. aids is strong. but we are stronger. and aids... ♪ aids is going to lose. aids is going to lose. ♪

>> chris: now some fresh pickings from the political grapevine. there are folks who think in nine days when the mayan calendar ends the world will end as well. the "associated press" report some believe a rogue planet will emerge from the hiding place behind the sun and smash in to the earth. at least two men in china predict a world ending flood. they are both building arks. the vatican's top astronomer reassures us the world will still be here in two weeks. teacher in france has been suspended for asking her class of 13-year-olds to write

suicide notes. the "telegraph" explains the assignment you turned 18 and decided to end your life and final effort you explain the reason for your act. many parents were understandably horrified. but others defended the french teacher saying the project was instructive. no worse than what kids talk about on the playground. finally the daily caller website reports a university of cambridge chemist wants to ban party balloons from this year's royal institution christmas lecture in great britain. the scientist says the scarcity of helium is a serious issue. i can imagine in 50 years' time our children will be saying i can't believe they used such a precious material to fill balloons. spokesman says the scientist is not being a party pooper. helium is used in hospitals, and scientists have not yet found sustainable way to make the gas artificially. one of the big fights in fiscal cliff standoff has to do with cutting entitlements.

one program is food stamps. well-intentioned, it has grown dramatically up 3% since president obama took office. it is exempt from the sequester cut that are part of the fiscal cliff. tonight, correspondent shannon bream on the expensive history of a costly benefit. >> the the precursor to today's food stamp program, substantial nutrition assistance program or snap is rooted in the late 1930s and early '40s when the federal officials look to solve two problems at once to make sure urban families in need could attain the surplus that the rural farmers need to unload. it ended when the imbalance between the need and surplus was extinguished and restarted in the 1960s and existed in several versions since then. by 1970 there were 4.3 million recipients. fast forward to 2012 that number is up by 1,000% to 47.7 million. >> if a guarantee thing, entitlement program. that means if you meet the

income qualifications the got must give you the money. whether the government has any money to give you or not. if they don't, they have to borrow it. >> that is right. spending on food stamps that hit $75 billion in fiscal year 2012012 is non-negotiable, exemt from the sequest tration cuts should they kick. in despite jeff sessions's effort not on the table in an effort to negotiate closing the closing gap between revenue and spending. the u.s. department of agriculture that administers the program says the increase in snap participation in the 2008 to 2010 period of economic decline including the recent recession was consistent with the increase in the previous period of economic decline. but as the unemployment rate dropped the number of those participating in snap continues to rise. skeptics point to one key factor. >> a lot of people don't realize one of the provisions in the 2009 economic stimulus bill was to essentially evas

rate the work requirement -- eviscerate the work requirements for food stamp. today in most state there is to requirement whatsoever to work in exchange for benefits. >> the usda maintains that the snap program has a workbe requirement for able-body adults who don't have dependents and it's up to the state to enforce specific guidelines. chris? >> chris: thank you. things were calmer today in the nation's newest right to work state. in detroit, michigan, a few dozen protesters entered a state office buildings. demonstrators in lansing and other cities covered mouth with tape in a silent protest. they signed the bill prohibiting unions from requiring workers to pay dues. member or not. >> few things symbolize the economy more than the unfinished construction projects in new york city. each began with hope and promise and ran head first to environment filled with

uncertainty. >> they are empty monument to bad economy. the developers have been left incomplete until they secure financing. they say the institutional construction lending has not bounced back from the 2008 economic crisis. >> they run out of money or combination of running low on money and not having enough sales where the condominium or co-op sales or the market for rentals doesn't appear to be strong enough to justify completion of the project. >> right now, the city says there are 691 star projects. number by 17%. half are 45% stalled since 2009. try and kick start construction, american institute of architect has a web site where they pitch the project to potential investors and by pass the banks.

other cities have seen the housing construction rebounds by as much as 18%. all signs of a growing national turn-around. some say construction spending is cyclical. in 1976, the manhattan posh upper east side dotted with the unfinished building and vacant lot. because of a recession that sent off institutional spen spending. >> money did open up to fuel huge new york city building boom in 1980s. those here hope history repea repeats itself. this has been resold to developer and they expect the resumption soon. >> the north korea step closer to sending nuclear warhead to the u.s.? we talk to a fox panel when we come right back.

[ male announcer ] red lobster's hitting the streets

to tell real people about our new 15 under $15 menu. oh my goodness! oh my gosh, this looks amazing! [ male announcer ] our new maine stays! 15entrees under $15, seafood, chicken and more! oothe tilapiawith roastedegetab! i'm actually looking at the wo grilled chicken with portobello wine sauce. at pork chop was great! no more fast food friday's! we're going to go to red lobster. yep. [ male announcer ] come try our new menu and sea food differently and introducing 7 lunch choices for just $7.99. salad, sandwiches, and more.

with a provocative tract threatens renallal peace and security, undermines the non-prolivelation regime. it's -- nonproliferation regime. it's regrettable they chose to take the course. >> chris: white house spokesman jay carney condem condemning north korea successful launch of long range missile. time to bring in the panel. jeff zellany of the "new york times." nina easton of fortune magazine and syndicated columnist charles krauthammer. north korea conducted four multiple stage missile tests before and all four failed. nina how significant that the regime successfully launched long range missile. how much more of a threat does it make north korea >> tremendous threat. you think about, exactly almost ten years ago that george w. bush declared north

korea part of the axis of evil. since then they have been steadily progressing in fairness under both administration toward having a nuclear capability that threaten even the shore of the united states. so now we have a rocket, that can launch a satellite, lon long-term. across okinawa to water of the philippines. not a big step from that to go to a long range missile with a nuclear warhead on it. that is clearly where they are heading. a big channel right now for u.n. ambassador susan rice in particular. but also president obama. because the action will be at the u.n. are you going to get tougher sanctions? iran has tougher sanctions on it now than does north korea. to get tougher sanctions you need china on board, not just to get through the security council but china in north

korea's biggest trading partner. if you are going to monitor what goes in and out -- >> it provides a lot of food and oil and -- >> everything. yeah. >> president obama came in office famously promising to engage with regime like north korea. when that didn't work, threats of suffer sanctions. what do they do now and will it work? >> we probably all remember the famous statement from a debate in the summer of 2007, the white house is very alarmed as they should be. this is a big surprise. a big threat. working behind the scenes. talked to a senior official not long ago who said they working to put pressure on russians to try and put pressure on the north koreans as well.

a big challenge for the white house. one more thing on the president's plate. in the middle of this domestic maelstrom. >> chris: foreign policy problems as well with syria. >> yeah. >> chris: busy plate. charles, your reaction? >> nothing will happen at the u.n. even if it were to happen at the u.n. it will have zero effect on the program that the north koreans are running. all of this talk, reflexive answer. every time it happens and utterly meaningless. it's true. neither administration, nor the bush going back to clinton administration had agreement in the middle '90s which the north koreans reneged on. and essentially hoodwinked the united states. no administration has any success. the reason is sanctions have not effect. china has no intention of reining in the regime.

it likes having a thorn in our side. in that part of the pacific while it probes the southern waters. it seems the only answer is two things. number one, pour resources to the missile defense. it is over, the north koreans have the capacity. if you put something in orbit, all you do is slow it down. it will land somewhere. it means you can reach it. continental distances; meaning, it can hit us. that is a matter of a short amount of time where he felt the capacity to shoot it down. we need to spend money to that. to build batteries that will do it. the democrats hate the talk of missile defense, because it about it. they have to dispense with that anachronistic thinking. second we have to say we won't allow proliferation. if we find they are shipping material to other countries,

take it or destroy it. no way to stop them from having the weapons but we can stop from exporting it or being really serious. that is something to be serious about. >> chris: when kim jong un succeeded his father almost a year ago there was some hope that maybe it was a new generation or sensible. some say rational. same generation. does it dash hopes? is this another kim? >> the style is different than his father. we saw that he spoke to the people this week. he is definitely more of a public figure. if you have a country in an economic collapse the way you get everybody together and rally them is to, is this militaristic, nationalistic,

buildup. that is what he is doing. that's how the regime views staying in power. it doesn't matter if kim jong unor his father. to keep an maintain power they are using this military prowess to rally troops. you you saw the troops through the street. you heard the interview with people around the country. where half the country is starving. >> it helps him make the leadership to show i'm as tough as my dad were. we have to take a break. next up, another day closer to the deadline to the fiscal cliff. are we moving toward the brink? or away from it? begin. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribae.e.

could've had a v8. i heard you guys can ship ground for less than the ups store. that's right. i've learned the only way to get a holiday deal is to camp out. you know we've been open all night. is this a trick to get my spot? [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office. share "not even close." share "you owe me..." share "just right." the share everything plan. sharable data across 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. get a droid razr m by motorola for $49.99.

taxes are going to go up one way or the other. i think the key is to make sure that taxes go up on the high-enindividuals like you an me, barbara. we can afford it. it's entirely possible for us to come up with a deal but time is running short. >> president's called for $1.4 trillion of revenue. that cannot pass the house or the senate. >> chris: president obama and house speaker boehner continuing to play and replay their roles in the ground hog day drama of the fiscal cliff. we're back with the panel. so i'll keep asking for bret will ask this until we don't have to ask anymore. progress today? >> wasn't much. wasn't much at all. one possible way out for republicans on this is to agree to the buffett rule, which would set a minimum tax. 30% on millionaires and above.

that way you don't raise them on everybody. what i found fascinating today is you look outside what is happening in the internal negotiations and you see pressure on the white house. nancy pelosi guess on an assault in an op-ed today about raising the age on medicare. we are not doing that. off the table. you see jay rockefeller, whenly waxnan the house saying do not touch medicaid, by the way is bankrupting the states and squeezing education money and school money. so they have taken those off the table, which leads maybe cost of living adjustment on medicare and social security. and not much else. so, i think that is where we are now. >> jeff, from your reporting where do you get a sense of where we're headed in this. >> troubling sign of the message of closed door meeting

where speaker boehner said the members should leave their christmas decorations up. and that they should plan to stay in. i think that one channel for speaker boehner here, he is beginning to face some rumblings of trouble on the right. so far, i think they have been able to do a good job holding everyone together on this. some are members of the house republican caucus that were outspoken after this closed door meeting, telling reporters that speaker boehner, you know is responsible for this. is not negotiating a hard enough. so he has problems on both planks. i think that, i think there is still time. it's december 12, i guess. so i think that by the end of the week, you know, there isn't sort of some more agreement it's a problem. i still think both sides have the impetus to do something and get some type of agreement to keep the cliff from happening. >> before i bring -- >> president still has some

rules for agreement. >> chris: so let me ask you about this. boehner raised the question. some of the things that the president was asking for i couldn't get through the house anyway. if he can make a deal with the president and it is still painful, even if it's not $1.4 trillion in new revenue can he get it through the house? how much danger is he in for losing the speakership if he doesn't stand firm enough on the president? >> he could be in fair bit of danger here. the question is, if he is willing to get something through the house without a majority of the caucus for. this hastert rule. speaker hastert would never bring something through unless majority of republicans to support it. >> chris: majority of the majority. >> so of course his speakership could be threatened here. one side story of this at least in washington is the majority leader. cantor has been not as front and center in the negotiations at all. is he waiting in the wings to help things out, waiting in

the wings to be there if speaker boehner falls? that is an intrigue here. speaker boehner is committed to doing this. if it costs him his speakership at some point my guess is so be it. >> chris: really? that is interesting. >> it's not his preferred course but he has been in washington a long time. he sees how real the problem is. >> chris: fox news has a new poll out. interesting results. put them up on the screenm when people are asked what is the best way to deal with the deficit, 69% say not surprisingly raise taxes on the wealthy. that doesn't affect them. 65% say cut government workers. 56% call for changes to social security. 51% raise the eligibility age for medicare. a lot of support for the tough measures here. and when it comes to entitlement reforms 46% favor major cuts even if it will hurt. be tough on people. including 59% of republicans while 40% say keep the funding and just pass debt to the

children including 52% of democrats. charles? what does that tell you? >> you start by saying asking us every day for daily update on the cliff is like covering every day a tortoise 10k. you know, tortoise "a" advanced a neck length and the other is not a full shell. obama is running out the clock. in your polls, it's clear that you can look and find support for any position you want. yes, the strongest supports for raising taxes on the rich. that will happen. but remember, the republicans caved on that, on the day after election. offering almost $1 trillion in revenues. you do get people saying that is not enough by 10 to 1 in the poll. but you have to also have spenning cuts. that is where obama is running out the clock. as nina indicated prominent democrats are saying we won't move on major issues on any entitlement reform. you get the president offered about half a trillion in cuts,

over ten years. this is a government that is going to spen over the decade about $45 trillion. it has $16 trillion in debt an offering half a trillion in cuts. not serious. and unless obama moves on that nothing will happen. we are going over niagara falls. >> chris: i won't be here tomorrow. bret thankfully will be back but my guess is he will ask about the tortoise race and what is ahead by a neck. >> chris: neck and neck right now. >> chris: that is it for panel. but stay tuned for look at unusual christmas doings at the white house. let's give thanks - for an idea. a grand idea called america. the idea that if you work hard, if you have a dream, if you work with your neighbors... you can do most anything.

this led to other ideas like lerty and rock 'n' roll. to free markets, free enterprise, and free refills. it put a man on the moon and a phone in your pocket. our country's gone through a lot over the centuries and a half. but this idea isn't fragile. when times get tough, it rallies us as one. every day, more people believe in the american idea and when they do, the dream comes true. we're grateful to be a part of it.

and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with sympts of frequent urges and leaks day and night.

if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. i've worked hard to get to where i am... and i've got better aces to go than always going to the bathroom. so take charge of your symptoms by talking to your doctor and go to vesicare.com for a free trial offer. >> chris: finally, the obama held white house christmas party for reporters last night. the first couple was charming, the food was great. decorations, here is how a local station in seattle described them. >> some republicans are pushing boehner and other leader